On Jul 2, 1:07 pm, "bob fusillo" wrote:
> "NEWS. During a conference which took place last week at Lake Garda, Mayor
> Cacciari [ of Venezia] made some remarkable suggestions about his city.
> "Please say that Venice smells, that merchants are expensive; please do
> adverse publicity. In Venice, we have to thin crowds, not attract them. The
> tourists who arrive every year already number 20,000,000, and we are
> preparing for the Chinese tourist boom, which is a frightening prospect. In
> China, new tourist agencies have been opened by the dozen, and everyone
> includes tours to Venice. The municipality doesn't get any benefit from this
> surge, and there are absurd costs for controlling trash and providing
> transportation. Tourism, beyond certain levels, becomes dangerous." It was a
> very clear speech, leaving no doubt about the municipality's dilemma.
> Wish to comment?http://blog.buongiornovenezia.com"
>
> For years there have been many attempts to thin the mobs of tourists,
> especially the non-spending but heavily polluting day-trippers, but to no
> avail. There is no doubt, tho, that things are reaching a flash point, and
> that the city will begin to try some drastic things. But the problem is that
> most of the things they contemplate will affect the hotel-staying tourists,
> and not the vast hordes of street-blocking, mess-makers. But there are some
> suggestions about handling them that are heavy.
> But for all tourists, and Venetians, Venice is no longer a nice place to
> visit. Crowded streets, often to the point of standstill, poor food
> hurriedly dished out, and unabashed overpricing. The queues are painfully
> long for even lesser attractions.
> rjf
Just ban the cruise ships. They are what dump the zounds of day-
trippers onto the island each day.
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